Jim Keeran Obituary, A Longtime Community Player Has Passed Away

Jim Keeran Obituary, Death Cause – We were deeply grieved to learn of the demise of James “Jim” Keeran, who had been an active member of the Community for many years.
In 1962, Jim was a part of the very first performance to take place in the Robinhood Lane facility. Up until the year 1997, Jim participated in approximately 25 performances as an actor, director, and scenic designer, with 14 of those roles being director. These photos are from a variety of programs in which the subject appeared or directed.

Jim worked as Vice President of the company during the late 1960s and was on the board of directors for a number of years during the 1960s and 1970s. We are grateful for the time he devotes to his work as an artist and Community Player. James F. Keeran, a benefactor to the local community and an award-winning journalist for The Pantagraph, passed away on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 4:00 a.m. in the city of Bloomington.

At the McLean County Art Center in Bloomington, there will be a Celebration of Life on the evening of Saturday, May 6, 2023, beginning at 4:00 p.m. and continuing until 6:00 p.m. Donations in James and Gale Keeran’s honor can be donated to the James and Gale Keeran Memorial Fund at the Illinois Community Prairie Foundation. Jim Fredrickson Keeran was born in Bloomington on December 1st, 1941. His parents were James Fredrickson and Anna Louise (Smock) Keeran.

His children, Brodyn, Braxdyn, Brynlee, and Bricelynn, as well as his long-time companion Mary Anne Schierman of Normal, are among his survivors. His daughter, Tracy Keeran, of Bloomington, and her children, Marissa Eve and Tyler, are also among his survivors. His son, Adam Keeran (Cheryl), of Catlin, and their children, also survive. His wife, Gale Burnett Keeran, who passed away in 2001, and his sister, Donna Shane, who died in Mesa, Arizona, just a few hours after her brother Jim, both came before him in death. He was the last of his family to pass away.

Jim is a native of Illinois and attended Illinois Wesleyan University, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1963. The following year, he attended Southern Illinois University to finish his post-graduate studies. He began his 37-year career in the newspaper industry in 1965 when he was hired by The Pantagraph as a general assignment correspondent. Before beginning his career as a journalist in 1980, Jim held the positions of assistant city editor and state editor.

In 1984, he was given the role of entertainment editor, and after nine years in that capacity, he left that position to focus on feature writing instead.

Jim Keeran Obituary, Death Cause – We were deeply grieved to learn of the demise of James “Jim” Keeran, who had been an active member of the Community for many years. In 1962, Jim was a part of the very first performance to take place in the Robinhood Lane facility. Up until the year 1997,…